RBI Governor : “Domestic Currency is Still Better than its Emerging Market Peers”

The Rupee breached the 74-mark against the US dollar for the first time on Friday. RBI governor Urjit Patel Friday emphasised that the domestic currency is still better than its emerging market peers and that the apex bank does not have a target for it.

He maintained that the value of rupee is determined by the market forces and the RBI does not have any “target or band” around any particular level of the exchange rate. He said the foreign exchange reserves of USD 400.5 billion as of end September are sufficient to finance 10 months of imports.

Addressing a press conference after announcing RBI’s fourth bi-monthly policy, he said the rupee has experienced bouts of volatility since the monetary policy committee meeting in August, as reported by The Indian Express. Patel’s comments came as the rupee crossed the 74-mark against the dollar Friday afternoon after opening higher than its previous close at 73.52.

The country has not been immune to global spillovers from external factors, he said.

“The rupee fall, in some respect, is moderate in comparison to several other emerging market peers,” the governor said.

With former RBI Governor, Raghuram Rajan

Ruling out any target for the currency, he said,

“Our response to these unsettled conditions has been to ensure that foreign exchange market remains liquid with no undue volatility.”

By the end of September, the rupee has depreciated in nominal effective terms by 5.6 per cent since the end of March, Patel said. In real effective term, the rupee fall has been at 5 per cent, the governor said. In absolute terms, the rupee is down around 17 per cent since January this year.

Forex reserves had touched a record of USD 426.028 billion in the week to April 13, 2018, but have been declining since then on account of RBI intervention in market to stem fall in the rupee.

Meanwhile, the BSE Sensex too plunged by 584.53 points, or 1.66 per cent, to 34,584.63 in late afternoon trade.

Announcing the monetary policy, RBI governor Urjit Patel said that the depreciation of rupee against dollar has been comparatively moderate in comparison to currencies of other emerging markets economies, ANI reported.

Depreciation of Rupee against US Dollar has been comparatively moderate in comparison to currencies of other EMEs (emerging markets economies): RBI Governor Urjit Patel pic.twitter.com/Xrd8zg4V9Q